Merlin: Gwaine's Love Story
by 0nceAndFutureKing
Summary: In his fast-paced short story, Gwaine finds romance in Camelot while trying to defeat Morgana and save Arthur.


Gwaine's Love Story

With a charming smile and passionate personality, it was a not hard to imagine Sir Gwaine finding love. But, we never got to see that in his lifetime in Camelot. But picture that out knight did find love, and here's how it happens...

It was a clear, crisp day at Camelot. Gwaine, Percy, and Leon were patrolling the hallways of the castle when a young woman headed toward them with a basket of clothes in her hands. She had wavy blonde hair, a perfectly shaped face, with pale skin. As she passed the knights in the hallway, they respectfully dipped their heads to her (as required in the knight's code) and she curtsied in return. As the woman walked away, Gwaine glanced back at her. His mouth gaped as he immediately took interest. Percy caught him glaring and laughed.  
"Stop staring, Gwaine, she's way out of your league," he said jokingly. Gwaine flashed a smile and resumed looking forward.  
"Who is that, anyway?" he said. Leon answered him.  
"That's the Lady Lillian. Why do you ask?"  
"Just...wondering."

The next day, the boys had just started their daily patrol.  
"Let's go this way," Gwaine suggested.  
"Why? We usually go this way," Leon said, confused. Percy elbowed him.  
"He wants to go see a certain someone," he whispered to Leon. Leon's eyes widened and he let out a sneaky smile as he let Gwaine go his way. As Gwaine had hoped, the Lady Lillian was walking down the corridor with her laundry. As she got closer, something caught her dress and she slipped. Lillian managed to catch herself, but the clothes tumbled out of the basket. Gwaine very quickly bent down to help her pick them up.  
"I'm so sorry about that! I just trip-," she stopped her sentence as she looked up. Her eyes met with Gwaine's. They held each others' gaze before Lillian looked down, blushing.  
"Thank you," she said. Gwaine opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, so he just smiled. Lillian got up with her basket and continued on her way. After she was out of earshot, Percy and Leon burst of laughing.  
"Wow, I've never seen Gwaine speechless before!" Percy said, still laughing.  
"Haha, very funny guys," Gwaine retorted. He rolled his eyes before smiling at his friends.

A week had passed and Gwaine's interest for the Lady Lillian had not faded, as the other knights thought it would. He had seen her a few times around the castle since their last encounter, but could never gather up the courage to talk to her. His friends had never seen anything like it-Gwaine was usually so smooth around the ladies and could always manage to charm them with ease. But Lillian just seemed to freeze Gwaine in his tracks. Today, however, that was going to change. He waited for Lillian just outside of the castle on her usual route to town with a bundle of daisies he bought. Finally, he saw her coming. She had her hair up in a bun with strands of wavy hair bordering her face. It was stunning. Lillian got closer, and Gwaine put on a charming (and nervous) smile as he leaned against a post.  
"What a surprise to see you here," she said. Gwaine huffed a laugh.  
"These," he said, handing her the flowers, "Are for you." Lillian smiled.  
"And...er...I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner sometime."  
"Gwaine, I would love to."  
"Great! My place, tomorrow evening," he said excitedly.  
"I'll see you there," she said before walking away. Gwaine adjusted his position against the post and sighed with content. Today just couldn't get any better.

Lillian would be there any second. Gwaine had spent all day tidying his chamber and setting up the dinner. It was dark outside, so he lit two candles and put them on either side of the vase of flowers on the table. Someone then knocked on the door. Gwaine's heart beat faster, and he did one last hair check before heading to the door. He opened it, and Lillian stood there in a long, sky blue dress with gems crocheted around the waist.  
"You look amazing," he said. She blushed.  
"Sorry, too soon?" Gwaine smiled.  
"No, no," Lillian said, laughing. The mood started to lighten and Gwaine lead her in to the table.  
"Wow, this food looks great! Did you cook it?"  
"Well, I did-or at least I tried. I hope it's okay." They both sat and started eating, talking about themselves and each other and various sorts of things.  
"So," Gwaine said. "Tell me about your family."  
"Well, my mother died when I was little. Honestly I don't remember her very well." She paused for a moment before continuing. "My father is a knight here at the castle-Sir Everett. When I young he would teach me how to wield a sword, in case I ever needed to use one."  
"Really?" Gwaine said. "My father died in battle some time ago. He was a knight too. My mother lives in a village to the West, I haven't seen her in a while. I'd like to back to see her again-someday."

Hours later, Lillian got up from the table.  
"My father is expecting me back home." Gwaine lead her to the door.  
"I had a wonderful time, Gwaine. Thank you." He smiled and wished this moment could last just a bit longer. But eventually, he had to close the door.

Gwaine and Lillian had been seeing each other for about a month now. It was known by pretty much all of Camelot, and the knights loved tease Gwaine about it. Today, Arthur had given Gwaine nothing to do. So, he decided to plan something with Lillian. He wrote a note to her, asking to meet him at the front of the castle at noon. Gwaine quickly got two horses from the stable (with the help of Merlin, who happened to be in the stables anyway) and waited at the castle for Lillian. Just when he thought that maybe Lillian didn't get the note, she was walking down the steps of the castle. They smiled at each other and he helped her get onto the horse.  
"I know how to ride, Gwaine," she said teasingly when he offered to lead.  
"Alright then, I'll race you to the brooke." And with that, they galloped off.

Lillian leaned her head against Gwaine's shoulder as they sat by the brooke. It was peaceful-the only sounds were the rushing water and the occasional whinny of the tied up horses. Gwaine shifted slightly to interlock Lillian's hand with his. He glanced down at her and she looked up. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her lips. He hesitated, then leaned in and kissed her.

It was a cool night and Lillian was in her chamber, reading. Suddenly, there were a few bangs on the door. Knocks? Cautiously, she opened the door and saw Gwaine.  
"Gwaine-" she started, but didn't get a chance to finish. Gwaine fell into her, and Lillian let out a surprised yelp. Using Lillian to balance himself, he stood up. His eyes were drooping and he smelled of alcohol.  
"Oh my god Gwaine, you're wasted!" Lillian exclaimed.  
"Lillian...Li-lli-an," he slurred, as if testing out her name. Realizing she was getting nowhere, Lillian laid him on her bed. "Lillian," he said again.  
"I'm here, Gwaine." She left him for a moment to go and get some water from the table. Hearing a loud thud, she turned around to see Gwaine on the floor. She looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Putting the water down, she got a blanket and put it over him.  
"Love. You. I love...you," he managed to mumble with his eyes closed. Lillian smiled. "I love you too."  
The next morning, Gwaine awoke with a massive headache. Moaning and rubbing his forehead, he sat up.  
"Where am I?" Lillian, hearing him, walked into the room.  
"Look who's up," she said. Gwaine blinked a few times.  
"What happened?" he asked.  
"Last night, you came to me from the tavern. Completely wasted. Put you on the bed and you decided you'd rather be on the floor." Gwaine's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. He picked himself up off the floor.  
"Thank you, but I'd better get going. Arthur will be looking for me." Lillian nodded. Stopping at the door, he turned to Lillian.  
"I didn't happen to say...anything last night did I?" Lillian froze for a split second before recovering.  
"Nope," she said.  
"Ok," Gwaine said before flashing a charming smile and walking out.

The moon shone brightly through the window in Gwaine's chambers. There, he kissed Lillian over and over. It had been almost a year since they had first met. Morgana had become more and more of a problem and war was only a stone's throw away. Lillian was a relief to all of the fighting. Suddenly, Lillian broke away from his face and tears rolled down her cheeks.  
"Lillian, what's wrong?" Gwaine said. Had he done something to upset her?  
"I can't do this anymore...I can't." Fear rolled through Gwaine. What was she talking about?  
"What is it? Did I do something?" The tears came faster and it hurt Gwaine to see her like this. "Please, tell me," he said, desperate to make her happy again. Then, she whispered something barely audible.  
"I have magic." She turned away from Gwaine, her tears still coming. Gwaine was speechless. Magic? Half of him urged to run to Arthur, and the other half of him wanted to wrap Lillian in his arms and protect her from anyone else who might discover this secret. Instead, he gently turned her face to him and kissed her. When he pulled away, Lillian looked up at him and he knew that he could never betray her to Camelot.  
"I don't care," he said, speaking softly. Then, hugged her and decided he would never let go.

The sun was shining through the windows of the corridor that Gwaine and Lillian walked down. They were so busy chatting that they didn't notice the figure that loomed toward them as they turned the corner. Gwaine's eyes flashed in alarm when he recognized Morgana.  
"RUN!" he yelled to Lillian, but it was too late. In a split second, Morgana used her magic to force Gwaine against the stone wall. His back slammed and he grunted in pain. Then, she gripped Lillian with what could only be described as an invisible hand.  
"You!" she said menacingly. Suddenly Lillian felt an immense pressure in her head. She screamed in pain, but Morgana held her grip.  
"LILLIAN!" Gwaine screamed, but Morgana had him immobilized too. "Guards!" he cried. "Someone, HELP!"  
Arthur stood in his chambers when he heard muffled yelling. It sounded distant, but somewhere in the castle. The yelling persisted and he grabbed the closest pair of guards.  
"Come," he demanded. He raced down the corridors and the commotion grew louder. As he turned the corner, everything happened so fast. Gwaine was struggling and  
yelling against the wall, and a figure held Lillian, who must have fainted as she was limp. The figure turned toward Arthur.  
It was Morgana.  
Then, an explosion riveted through the castle. The force of air pummled Morgana, destroying her grip on Gwaine and Lillian. But, the explosion hadn't come from Morgana.  
It had come from Lillian.  
Lillian collapsed onto the ground. Her head was fuzzy.  
"Lillian!" Gwaine called, running toward her. "Its ok, everything's ok," he kept repeating, holding her.

In the throne room, Arthur sat among a crowd. Lillian stood in front of him. The knights, including Gwaine, stood beside the throne.  
"Lillian Reverenta, you have been accused of using magic inside the walls of Camelot. Do you admit to these claims?" Arthur announced.  
"I do, your majesty, but I only did because Morgana was going to kill me! I haven't used it otherwise since I discovered I had magic." Usually Arthur would have silenced the defendant, but he was quite fond of Lillian, so her let her speak. She was always kind to him when he greeted her, and she treated Gwaine, his good friend, very well. He couldn't bear the heartbroken look on Gwaine's face. Lillian continued.  
"I can't help who I am."  
Arthur sat pensively for a while before he made his final ruling.  
"Lillian Reverenta, I release you of all claims. However, if you are caught using magic again, I will have no choice but to sentence you to death." Then the King addressed the crowd. "My decision is final. This event is to never be spoken of again, or serious consequences will follow. Dismissed." He glanced back at Lillian and saw her mouth a 'thank you'. He could help but smile. For once, he believed he did the right thing.

Later that evening, Gwaine knocked on Arthur's door.  
"Come in," he said. Gwaine entered, his head low.  
"I just wanted to thank you for...earlier." Arthur smiled.  
"I couldn't bear to lose one of my knights, Gwaine. Not over this."  
"Sire, I would have been loyal to you no matter what your ruling," Gwaine said seriously. This made Arthur laugh.  
"The only thing stronger than loyalty is love. Even I can see that."

That night, Lillian laid next to Gwaine. Worrying about earlier and what could have happened, Lillian spoke.  
"Can you promise me something?" she said. Gwaine adjusted his position to face her.  
"Anything," he said.  
"Promise me that you won't do anything rash on my account." Gwaine smiled.  
"I can't promise you that," he said.  
"Gwaine-"  
"Nope. I love you, Lillian. And I'll be there for you. Always."

Leon and Percy were in mock-combat when Gwaine and Lillian walked out to meet them. The other knights were watching as the two swords clashed, but then Percy managed to knock the sword out of Leon's hand. It went flying toward Lillian. Gwaine reached out to catch it, but Lillian caught the grip of the sword. The spectating knights were all paying attention now. With one hand on her hip and the other on the sword, she walked toward the center of their make-shift arena. Leon put his hands up and let Lillian take the field.  
"You've got to be kidding me," Percy said, seeing his opponent. Lillian shrugged and readied her sword. "Ok then." He quickly glanced at Gwaine before carefully delivering the first blow. Lillian easily blocked it. Percy continued to deliver blows, but all of them were blocked by his opponent. Seeing he was getting nowhere, he swung. Gwaine winced. But, with ridiculous speed, Lillian ducked, maneuvered behind Percy, and held her sword to his neck.  
"Gotcha," she smiled, and then backed away and threw the sword to Leon. Everyone there was surprised, and a few laughed. A proud Gwaine walked up to Lillian.  
"I've got to go, have fun training," she said to him with a quick kiss goodbye. The knights went silent as they watched her go before Gwaine grabbed a sword and stood next to Percy.  
"Ready, big guy?" Gwaine said. Percy laughed.  
"Now let's see if you can fight half as good as her."

"Father, please, be nice to him," Lillian said light-heartedly. They were waiting for Gwaine to arrive. He had decided that he wanted to meet Sir Everett, and Lillian couldn't have been more excited. Her father laughed. "This man may be my future son-in-law! I have to make sure he's the right one." However, Sir Everett already knew plenty about this young knight. He had seen him fight (and a brilliant fighter he was), but had also noticed his loving nature toward Lillian. He was just giving his daughter a hard time. Finally, Gwaine entered the room, obviously nervous. His breath was shaky as he greeted and shook hands with Sir Everett. As the two knights talked, Gwaine started to relax. When he did leave, Everett nodded at his Lily. "You chose well," he said, and she smiled.

A few weeks later, Gwaine was in the armoury with Percy, Elyan, and Leon. He sat on the bench, holding a ring. Elyan peeked over his shoulder.  
"What's that?" he asked. Gwaine quickly hid it.  
"Nothing," he said quickly. He had gotten the attention of Percy and Leon now. Percy grabbed him while Elyan grabbed the ring from Gwaine's hands.  
"No! Give that back!" The three other knights stared at the ring in surprise. Gwaine...getting married?! _Gwaine_?!  
"Yes, yes, I'm proposing. Got it? Geez," Gwaine said before taking the ring back. He started to walk away, but then walked back when he realized he needed his friends more then anything right now.  
"Um, I don't really know how to do this. Can...can I get your help?" The knights relaxed and smiled at Gwaine.  
"Yeah."  
"We'll be there for ya."  
"Definitely."Gwaine was glad to be with such friends-he knew they always had his back.

Today was the day. Leon, Elyan, and Percy had helped him go over what to do a million times. They would be watching from a balcony when he proposed. It took Gwaine a whole two hours to get ready-he wanted to make sure he looked his best. He had already gotten the blessing from Arthur and Sir Everett. Arthur was just as surprised as the knights when Gwaine told him the news. He walked with Lillian in the castle courtyard, and subtlety looked to his friends on the balcony for reassurance. Taking a deep breath, Gwaine stopped and turned to Lillian.  
"Since the day I met you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."  
"I was there when he first met her," Percy whispered from the balcony.  
"Shut up!" Elyan said a little too loudly. Both Lillian and Gwaine turned to them.  
"Now that this moment is spoiled," Gwaine continued, getting down on one knee. He pulled out a box and opened it. "Lillian, will you marry me?" She cupped her hands over her mouth.  
"Yes, yes!" she said, nodding her head. Gwaine put the engagement ring on, got up, and kissed her.  
"Awwwwww," the three knights from the balcony teased in union. Still close to Lillian's face, Gwaine glanced at them and smiled.

Morgana had taken over Camelot. Gwaine, Elyan, Gaius, and Lillian were in the dungeon. Arthur and Merlin had escaped, but the four were not so lucky. To make their situation worse, Morgana seemed determined to make Lillian as miserable as possible-because of her magic and because of Gwaine's feelings for her. Gaius was lying on the cell bed. Elyan sat on the stone cold floor, while Gwaine and Lillian leaned on the wall next to each other. Morgana walked up to the prison cell. Gwaine met her there.  
"Gaius can't last much longer without food. We need to eat," he said. Morgana smirked.  
"Oh, Gwaine." She moved a finger to his chest and fiddled with the laces on his shirt. He flinched. "You can eat. If you can fight for it." With a sly smile, Morgana ordered for her men to take Gwaine out of the cell. Lillian and Elyan glanced at each other with worry.

This pattern went on for a week. Once a day, Gwaine would be taken out of his cell to fight so that all of them could eat.  
"We can't do this for much longer," Elyan said.  
"I know. We have to get out of here," Lillian responded. Then Gwaine brightened.  
"I think I have a plan..."  
When Morgana's guards came to get Gwaine, the four were ready. As they took him out of the cell, Gwaine elbowed the first guard in the face. Quickly, he grabbed the guard's sword. Both guards were down before anyone noticed. Elyan grabbed the second guard's sword, while Lillian helped Gaius maneuver through the dungeon. They made it out and headed for the field toward the forest. At last, they had escaped.

The four sat around a fire quietly.  
"We have to go find Arthur and Merlin," Gwaine said, breaking the silence.  
"Tomorrow we'll set off." Elyan paused. "Does anyone know where they went?"  
Silence.  
"Alright then," Gwaine said, getting up. "Looks like we have our work cut out for us. I'll go get something to eat."  
"I'll go get more firewood," Elyan announced. The knights left Gaius and Lillian by the fire. Suddenly, Lillian looked sick. She gripped her stomach and vomited. Gaius frantically looked over her.  
"Are you alright, my lady?" Gaius said, concerned.  
"Yes, I'm fine. I don't know what that was." Still worrying, Gaius examined Lillian closer.  
"Has this happened before?" He asked?  
"The past few mornings yes," she responded. The physician sat quietly for a second.

"Lillian, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were pregnant."

As Elyan collected firewood, he heard a large splash. Curious, he walked through the trees to where the sound had come from. Elyan came upon a river and found Gwaine sitting in it, a fish in his hand.  
"Got it!" he announced proudly. Elyan laughed and Gwaine smiled. It was a relief to know that no matter what happened, he would always be there to lighten things up.  
Night set and the fish that Gwaine had caught had been highly appreciated. While Elyan, Gaius, and Lillian sat by the fire, Gwaine stood by a nearby tree gazing into the forest. Lillian got up to talk to him. He had to know.  
"Hey," she said. Gwaine huffed contently in response. "Come with me," she continued, walking forward. They walked for a little while when Gwaine interrupted the quiet of the forest.  
"The stars look beau-"  
"I'm pregnant," Lillian blurted. Gwaine stopped arubtly. The butterflies in Lillian's stomach grew and she strongly regretted telling him. Then, Gwaine looked down at his feet and smiled before turning to Lillian.  
"I'm going to be a father," he whispered. He bit his lip and cupped his hand on Lillian's face and met her gaze. "Always," he said.  
"Always."

It was time to head out. They had to find Arthur and Merlin before Morgana destroyed everything.  
"Elyan, Gaius, go to the East of the river. Lillian and I will go to the West. Meet back up three miles from here on either side of the river. If you need help,  
call. Ready?" Gwaine asked.  
"Ready."  
"Ready."  
"Ready."  
Gwaine and Lillian set off to the East. They had gone almost two miles with no sign of Arthur or Merlin. Then, a figure emerged from the brush. Gwaine drew his sword. Then, suddenly, the world went black.  
Gwaine awoke on the ground. His hands were tied to two posts, and Lillian stood across from him. She was tied too, but still unconscious.  
"Hey, Lillian, come on, wake up!" he called. Her eyes fluttered open.  
"Gwaine?" Realizing the situation, Gwaine urged Lillian to use her magic to free them.  
"Lillian, I would never tell you to do this unless it was urgent. Please, just this once," he begged.  
"I think you'll find that that's not possible," said a voice. It was Morgana. Gwaine pulled on the ropes that constrained him, but it was no use.  
"Gwaine it's not working! My magic!" Lillian panicked. Morgana smiled.  
"A creature from the Old Religion-it has the power to take all of the magic out of a person. Quite handy in times like this, you see," Morgana said. "Now, time to get down to business," she said, pulling out a dagger. She held it up to Lillian and looked to Gwaine. "Where is Arthur?" Morgana said, unusually calm. Fear flashed in Gwaine's eyes. He didn't know.  
"I don't know," he said. Morgana's grip on the knife tightened. Lillian started to shake.  
"He doesn't know, Morgana!" she yelled. Morgana ignored her.  
"Tell me, Gwaine, or she dies." Desperation was written all over Gwaine's face. "You can't kill her, you can't," he cried.  
"Hm? And why is that?" Morgana replied.  
"Because," he said softly. "She's carrying a child." Morgana froze. The knife drew closer to Lillian.  
"All the more reason you should tell me. Where. Is. ARTHUR?!"  
"I don't know," he said, tears falling from his face. Morgana tightened her jaw in frustration, and the knife plunged into Lillian's chest.  
"NOOOO!" Gwaine screamed. His body shook and he pulled on the ropes with all of the strength he had. They snapped, and he grabbed his sword that had been left on the ground. He rushed at Morgana, and the sword hit her. Gwaine's face showed only anger, and Morgana laughed.  
"Oh, Gwaine. Your sword can't kill me." Then, she returned the blow with her knife. A fatal hit. His expression turned to fear. Gwaine fell to the ground next to Lillian and Morgana left them. As the two stared up into the sky, Gwaine reached for her hand.

"See you on the other side, love."  
" _Always_."


End file.
